Did Mary Wilson resent bandmate Diana Ross' success? A look at their relationship as Supremes co-founder dies
Mary Wilson, who co-founded the Supremes along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, died on Monday night, February 8, at her home in Las Vegas at the age of 76. Her sudden death was confirmed by her longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz. The circumstances surrounding her death were not immediately revealed.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” said Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Record, in a statement Monday night. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.’ Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, television and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. … I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
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Wilson appeared on all 12 of the Supremes’ No. 1 pop hits from 1964-69. She was the steady, driving force of the group and kept it going even when both Ross and Ballard left it in 1970 and 1967 respectively. She carried on with replacement singers for several years before trading it for a solo career herself. However, she is still remembered by many as a supplier of the backup hooks that supported Ross’ lead vocalist work in the group. “They think I’m just an ‘ooh girl,’” Wilson said in a 1986 San Francisco Chronicle interview.
Wilson: Ross 'always liked to be the center of attraction'
In a bestselling 1986 memoir, 'Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme,' Wilson laid down a scathing portrayal of her former bandmate, Ross, where she accused her of hogging the limelight and a backstabbing diva who used her relationship with Gordy to get whatever she wanted both professionally and personally.
Referring to Ross throughout her memoir by the former's birth name, Diane, Wilson described how Ross was a pushy egocentric who borrowed boyfriends as casually as clothes. She also added that Ross became the Supremes’ lead singer after she began having an affair with Gordy which left Wilson and Ballard doing nothing more in the group than background vocals. Ross apparently had her own dressing room while Wilson and Ballard shared one and Ross tried to dominate interviews once the group started gaining fame. “Diane always liked to be the center of attraction,” said Wilson, People Magazine reported. “If you happened to be in her way while she was going toward the center, that was your fault.”
In 1967 Gordy changed the group’s name to “Diana Ross and the Supremes.” Unhappy with her dwindling role in the group and battling alcoholism, Ballard left the trio shortly after and died in poverty in 1976. Apparently, Wilson was never formally informed of the name change. Though the name change “was the worst thing that ever happened to us,” Wilson said, she and Ross never spoke of it. She learned of the change through the newspapers after Ross left to start her solo career three years later.
Wilson still 'loved' Ross, despite the drama
Ross refused to be interviewed by Wilson during the writing of her memoir. Since then, she has refused to comment on it. “At that point, I honestly believe that Diane thought I may be capitalizing on her,” says Wilson. “She probably doesn’t know how I feel. She probably thinks I resent her success.” As for the romance with Gordy, Wilson said, “Diane was 16 or 17 years old, and this man liked her, loved her. Heck, I probably wouldn’t have looked back either.”
Despite their relationship turning sour, Ross remained the godmother of Wilson's daughter Turkessa, 11. Although the memoir wasn't “a Diana Dearest book, I still love her,” Wilson said. Defending herself in a 1986 interview in Jet magazine, she said, “I’m sure people will have their own opinions about that, but I really don’t care. My main thing is that when I was in the group I maintained my position and I didn’t step into Diane’s position. I’m no longer in the group now. I have my own position to uphold and it’s not in the background.”
An attempt to reunite Wilson with Ross and the other members of the Supremes for a 2000 tour failed after there was a public wrangle over Wilson’s fee for the tour.